Help bought a fixer upper

[ron halverson]

i bought a 1995 coleman utah in pretty good shape canvas excellent roof excellent one question it looks like at one time it had a slight leak it is not leaking now have tested with a lot of rain no problem but my question is the roof inside is perfect no bowing or weak places at all but back by one of the corners the wood on the side of the roof feels weak ,the metal rod that the canvas is held up by the last 2 screws near the end are not holding because they are in rotted wood the metal rbar is very secure it has about 4 other screws that are in good wood my feeling is that it would probably hold and be just fine for many years but am i wrong is this going to be a serious problem if there are no leaks will it get worse or will it remain like it is . i called coleman to see how much they charge to replace the side piece of wood they said 800-900.00 i only paid 700 for the trailer i dont want to put this kind of money in it but if you guys say it will be a big problem i will just sell this thing .I like this camper and dont want to sell if it will be just fine for many years to come thanks for your input Ron

[ron halverson]

32 people viewed this thread and no one has any kind of input for me .I would really like to know your guys thoughts on this . please somebody.

[stewartlittle]

32 people viewed this thread and no one has any kind of input for me .I would really like to know your guys thoughts on this . please somebody.

Well,I really dont how to fix your problem,and I hate doing that kind of stuff myself.But if you don't want to pay someone to fix it for you there is only one other option.You gotta tackle it youself.
As far as selling it because of a problem,you need to read what some guys have done.Buy a not so hot camper,put alittle more money and weekends doin it themselves and they turned someones junk into a masterpiece.

I read where a tree fell across this guys pup and totally crushed the roof,he wanted to fix it,not get rid of it.I think its on here somewhere with pics.

I guess it all boils down to if you really want to fix it or sell and get one in tiptop shape.

I know this did'nt help you much.

[ron halverson]

the real question im trying to get answered is . Not how to do it but is this a big problem or should it be just fine . thanks

[wavery]

the real question im trying to get answered is . Not how to do it but is this a big problem or should it be just fine . thanks

Wood-rot is always a big problem. No exceptions.

What you must understand about wood-rot is that once organic matter (wood) starts to rot, it turns into bacteria. Bacteria will continue to feed on the good wood and the rot will spread over time. This process will be slower in dry climates and faster in humid climates.

My suggestion would be to dismantle as much as you can and post pictures here. There are lots of people on this board that have done exactly that same repair. I don't know where they are right now but if you post pics....I think they will show up.

I hope that helps :sombraro: .

[Old Starcraft]

I too have had the same problem. I bought a 76' Galaxy Swinger fixer-upper this summer. After many years of tent camping I wanted to get "off the ground" and into something more comfortable. Enough about me.... My first job was to tackle the rotten wood. I'm almost finished with the project and have about $200 tied up in the roof using pressure treated wood, replacing as much of the hardware as possible, and using stainless steel screws. With the little free time I have (45-50 hours at work + underGrad school) I have about 20 hours tied up in the job. Keep in mind I'm a Respiratory therapist with little experience in wood working. I had some help from a few good friends that have experience (in household type jobs, not campers) and tools. My recommendation is to make sure you set-aside two (dry) weekends to allow plenty of time to do the job. The week in between will give you the time to track down the parts you need. Long story short GO FOR IT. I was able to do it with very little experience.


Feel free to send me an email. This is my first PU camper and it's been enjoyable so far. Just can't wait to use it next year !!! Here's the link to the dealer I relied on with this on going project, without their advice and what I've learned on this site my project would be a disaster.
 
http://www.tonysrv.com/

Good luck, and happy camping !!!!

[ScouterMom]

Where are we?   out trying to get a few last nights of camping in before the weather stops us! LOL!

I've done the replacement of  a sidewall or corner of not one, but TWO old PUP lids - it's not rocket science, but does take a bit of time and handy- person skills. I've also repaired (in my current 35 yr old baby) the back body corners and floors from rot left way too long and gone amuk!

take a look at my photo albums. (click on the phto and it should take you there)

The photos aren't meant to scare you - your camper is not as old as mine and mine probably sat for 5-10 years getting wet and never being opened up.  But I did take LOADS of photos, because when I was looking for info on what I would be dealing with, images of the full process were hard to find.  I was hoping they would help someone else in the future.  And there are ALOT of newbies out there dealing with this same issue- dozens on this board alone since I got my PUP last spring.

There are quite a few here who have done the same job on various old PUP's, some who have restored their tops to like-new condidtion, and others, like me, who just wanted to make the camper useable and watertight again.  

If you tackle the job, you will gain valuable knowledge of how your PUP works, and therefore, how to KEEP it working for you for years to come.  PUP's are generally put together with simple techniques and generally, easy to find parts.  The parts that you can't get or adapt from your local hardware store can often be reused from your camper with a little cleaning and refurbishing.

If you can post some pics somewhere and provide a link to them, we could give you a little more specific help.


If I can do it, anyone can!

Laura